Keyed zither



G. L. REYNOLDS.

KEYED ZITHER.

MPLLCATION FILED MAY 1-3. L9H}.

Patented May 25, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

fizz; 6701 0 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

eecaeer 'jmyaore s egm ressAoH-usnrrs .essienon To riroivoi-innr COMPANY, OF EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETT, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

' KEYED ZI'I I-IER.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lllay 25, 1920.

! i Application filed. May 13, 1918. Serial No. 234,085.

To (ZZZ. whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Gnonon LEE R111 NoLDs,1a citizen of the United States, resid- 'ing"at' Boston, inthe county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful'lmprovements in Keyed Zithers,

' of which the following is a specification.

This'invention has'for its object to provide an improved playing attachment for zitherjs, and it consists of certain features of construction and arrangement of the parts which are illustrated upon the drawings, described in the following specification and I particularized in the appended claims.

Referring to the "drawings,

1 s Figure '1 represents in plan view a zither proid'ded with an attachment embodying the invention.

'2 represents a section on the line 2 2 of Fighl'and shows that'part of the action which is utilized in playing the melody strings.

Fig. 3 is {aisimilar section and illustrates Tone or" the keys and hammers in active position. v v

Fig. 4 represents. a section on the line lQl Of If and illustrates that part of the action utilized in playing the chord strings.

. Fig. 5 representsa similar section of one of the keys and spring hammers in active position. u p I p Fig. 6 illustrates the support for certain of the spring hammers and shows how the hammers are secured thereto.

Fig. 7 represents a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. y

y Fig. 8 illustrates the hammer support and shows certain of the hammers attached thereto.

, Fig. 9 represents a section on the line 9%9of Fig.8. I v

Fig. 10 represents an endview of a por tion ofthe action and illustrates the stop frame and one of the. struts therefor.

The zither or instrument, on which the invention may be employed, may be of any suitable and approved construction. Preferably, I choose an instrument which has a seriesofmelody strings 15 and a plurality of groups of chord strings, each having a fundamental ,bass string 16, and strings 17 furnishing a triad Th'i s. 'instrument is provided with the usual sounding board 18 having at its end a bridge 19 over which the strmgs are tensioned at what may be termed the tront straight end of the Zither.

The action or attachment, which consti tutes the present invention comprises a plurality of spring hammers for playing melody strings and a plurality of hammers for playing the chord strings, there being pret erably one hammer for each bass string and one hammer for the three other strings or the same group of chord strings. These spring hammers are all secured to what I may term a hammer support. which consists of a fiat bar 20 of sheet metal which rests upon the front inclined face of the bridge 19 and is secured thereto at suitable inter *als. I ing the melody strings consist of spring shanks 21 equipped at their rear free ends with heads 22, and the front fixed ends of the shanks are clamped to the hammer support by ears 23 formed by punching pairs of tongues therein and bending thesime over so as to overlie and firmly clamp the hammer shanks as shown in Figs. S a-nd 9. The hammers for playing the chord strings comprise spring shanks 24 provided at their free ends with heads 25, and also carrying on their free ends blocks or weights 26 secured thereto in any suitable way as by tacks 27. The fixed ends of the spring shanks 24 may each be secured to the hammer support by two pairs of ears 28, 28. By reason oi the attachment of the flat hammer support upon the front inclined face or". the rest. the hammers are normally located in aplane at an acute angle to the plane of the strings, so that the hammer heads are relatively remote from the strings, in consequence of which, when each one of the hammers is depressed, the head acquires moment-um, according to the pressure with which it is depresserh and causes the head to vibrate against the associated string, in the case of the hammers for the melody strings. or to strike the string with a single sharp blow, in the case of the hammers for the chord strings. The provision or the blocks 26, which may be made of wood, prevents the vibration of the hammer head against the string after the head has struck the associated string but once.

The mechanism for operating the hammerscomprises a plurality of keys. those for the melody strings being indicated at fundamental.

The hammers for play-' 29 and those for the chord strings being indicated at 30. The keys are pivoted at their front ends and their rear ends rest upon and are sustained by the hammers. A frame, consisting of a vertical cross bar 31, end blocks 32 and a top inclined bar 3 3, is secured to the front end of the instrument by suitable fastenings. Lo hated in the frame there is an inclined flat bar 3a. which serves as a stop to arrest the movement of the keys when they are depressed. This bar is located between the keys and the hammers. The ends of the bar are secured to the end blocks of the frame in any suitable way, and its rearwardly projecting portion is provided with a strip of cushioning material. Each key is shown as attached to the front portion of the bar 34: by a short strip 36 of tape or other flexible material, one end of which underlies and is glued or is cemented to the rear end of the key and the other end of which is lapped about the front edge of the rest bar and cemented thereto, so that the key may be moved about a center. This strip therefore serves as a member for hinging the key to the front portion of the rest but each key may be otherwise pivoted or hinged as desired to accomplish the desired result. As shown, however, a cross bar 37 is glued or otherwise secured upon the top of the rest bar at the ends of the keys which may serve two purposes: first, to prevent the loosening of the tapes, and, second, to be engaged by the front pivoted ends of the keys and limit the upward swinging movement of the free ends of such keys. Each key consists of a flat piece of wood, which, in the case of the keys for playing the melody strings, has secured to the underside of its rear end a block 38, shod on its under face with a layer 39 of cushioning material. This block normally rests upon the associated hammer shank 21, as shown in Fig. 2, so that, when the free end of the key is depressed, it will move downward until it is arrested by the cushioning material on the stop, whereupon the free end of the hammer will be caused to vibrate against the string. When the key and hammer are in inactive position, the hammer engages the flat cushion-shod face of the block 38.

For arresting the upward movement of the hammers when they are released by the keys, I provide a pivoted stop frame, which in the form illustrated comprises a flat wooden plate a0 which extends across the strings and is secured to a cross bar ll and end bars 42. These last-mentioned end bars 42 are pivoted by wood screws l?) to the end blocks 32, so that the stop frame may be swung bodily about the axis of said screws. The front edge of the plate 40 is located just beyond the rear ends of the keys 29 and 30, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. A sheet of felt is secured to the under face of the plate l0 and may have a portion wound into a flat coil ll for engagement by the free ends of the hammers.

The keys for operating the hammers, which are associated with the chord strings, have secured to the under portions of their free ends blocks 15 shod on their under faces with cushioning material as at 46, and normally engaged with the blocks 26 carried by said hammers. Since the hammers for the chord strings are located in close proximity, that is are spaced more closely than the hammers for the melody strings, the keys 30 are provided with raised portions or finger-pieces a7, a8, those at f? being upon the keys which operate the fundamental bass strings and those at e8 on the keys for the other strings of the chords. These finger-pieces are arranged in parallel rows so that each key may be operated without causing the accidental operation of the other adjacent keys. lVhile it is not necessary, it is sometimes convenient to secure the blocks a5 and 38 to their respective associated keys so that their ends will underlie the stop plate 40, and in this case the cushioning material on the stop frame is provided with a portion 49 with which the projecting end of the block may engage.

The stop frame, as previously stated, is

,pivotally mounted upon the key-sustaining frame, and it is capable of being raised and lowered to vary the distance of the heads of the hammers from the strings. The stop frame is sustained in its elevated position by two struts or braces 50, 50, which are pivoted by pins 51 to brackets 52 glued or otherwise secured to the face of the sounding board 18 at the sides of the instrument. The upper ends of the struts are provided with. pins 53 which evtend into slots formed in the sides of the end bars 42 of the stop frame. By this construction, the frame may be held at the desired angle ormay be folded down, until the bars 42 engage the rest bar so as to bring the stop frame fairly close to the string and thus permit the instrument to be packed in a box.

Of course, it will be understood that, in lieu of usin textile tapes 36 for hinging the keys to the rest bar, l may use tapes formed of thin resilient metal.

3y forming the keys of narrow flat strips of wood and gluing or otl'ierwise securing the blocks 45, 38, thereto, they may be made with the least possible expense. The keys may be assembled and hinged to the rest bar 34 and the rest bar then secured in the key-sustaining frame, thus providing for a rapid and easy assembling of the action. The hammers may likewise be attached to the hammer support before it is secured upon the bridge.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction, which I have illustrated, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described a way of mak ing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

l. The combination with a zither having a string bridge, of ahammer support secured on the bridge, and spring hammers having their fixed ends attached to said support.

2, The combination with a zither having a bridge with an inclined front face, of a flat support secured upon said inclined face of the bridge, and spring hammers having their fixed ends attached to said support.

3. The combination with a zither, of a plurality of spring hammers, a support for the fixed ends thereof, a plurality of pivoted keys above said hammers, each having its free end engaged with and supported by one of the hammers, means located above the free ends of the keys to arrest their upward movement, and a stop located between said keys and said hammers adjacent the pivoted ends of the keys for arresting the operative movement of said keys.

i. The combination with a zither, of a plurality of spring hammers, a support for the fixed ends thereof, a stop bar independent of said hammer support arranged transversely of and above said hammers, and a plurality of keys located above said stop bar d each hinged at one end to said stop and having its free end engaged with and supported by one of the hammers normally out of engagement with said stop bar.

5. The combination with a zither, of a plurality of spring hammers, a support therefor, a plurality of keys above, and hav ing their free ends engaged with, said hammers, a cross bar interposed between the keys and the hammers, and means for hinging the front ends of said keys to the front portion of said bar, said hammers normally sustaining said keys out of contact with said bar except at the hinged ends thereof.

6. The combination with a Zither, of a plurality of spring hammers, an inclined support to which the fixed ends of the hammers are attached and by which the hammers are normally held in a plane inclined to the plane of the strings, a plurality of hinged keys above and having their end portions resting on and sustained by the free ends of the hammers, and a transverse stop interposed between the hammers and the keys for engagement by the keys when the free ends thereof are depressed.

T. The combination with a zither, of a plurality of spring hammers, an inclined support to which the fixed ends of the hammers are attached and by which the hammers are normally in a plane inclined to the plane of the strings, a plurality of hinged keys for operating said spring hammers, a stop frame pivotally connected to said Zither and arranged to be engaged by the free ends of the hammers, and hinged struts for supporting the free portion of said frame.

8. The combination with a Zither, of a plurality of spring hammers, an inclined support to which the fixed ends of the hammers are attached and by which the hammers are normally in a plane inclined to the plane of the strings, a plurality of hinged keys for operating said spring hammers, a stop frame pivotally connected to said Zither and arranged to be engaged by the free ends of the hammers, struts, means pivoting said struts to the body of the either, and means pivotally and slidingly connecting said struts to said frame.

9. The combination with a Zither, of a key-supporting frame attached to the front end of the zither, a plurality of keys hinged to said. frame, a plurality of spring hammers engaged by and sustaining said keys, a stop frame hinged to the first-mentioned frame and arranged to be engaged by the free ends of said hammers, and struts supporting the free portion of said frame.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

GEORGE LEE REYNOLDS. 

